Defence wins it at Bracknell

The 1s travelled to Bracknell on Saturday for one of the toughest away days in the league and won 20-7. Head coach Jay Henderson rates it as the most satisfying result of the season so far.

“It’s a very, very tough place to come,” said Jay. “We knew they had some very experienced players, especially in the pack, and their 15 was very good. So we knew what we had to do.”

Last week the side showed off its attacking rugby. This time it was the defence that did the talking, and the opposition managed zero line breaks all afternoon. “I’m an attacking coach, but defensively we were outstanding,” Jay said. “We made one mistake in the first half and they scored a try. That was it.”

Half-time was calm. “We spoke at half time quite calmly about maintaining the standards,” he said. “In the first half we got a little bit quick, a little bit panicked, because we didn’t have enough of the ball. We talked about patience.” The patience paid off after the break, and the 1s now have no losses so far this season.

For Jay, that is the side the 1s need to show as winter arrives. “Last week we showed we’re a really attractive attacking team. Today we showed a different side. When we get into the winter months, we have to show we can front up against a big team, against really good players.”

There are injuries in the squad. Jacob Watkins had successful surgery last week on the shoulder he dislocated in the opening game, and everyone at Holme Park wishes him a speedy recovery. Jay sees opportunity too, with Harry Staples impressing and Alex Lewis pushing hard in the 2nd XV. “They’re young and they’re hungry. They’re knocking on the door. They want your shirt,” he said. “That drives the standards even more. We need to be patient with them, because they are very young.”

He believes the change runs deeper than results. “I think that starts from within. I think we’re taking ourselves a little bit more seriously.”

The captain’s view

Captain Will Proctor-Searle knew Bracknell would be a step up from the open, attacking game against Oxford. “With Bracknell’s 1s two divisions above us, they’ve got players from their 2s and 1s going in and out of that team,” he said. “We knew they were going to be physical, and we knew their number eight would bring experience and run hard.”

The plan was simple. “We said at the start of the game, if we nullify their eight, we’re going to dictate the game.” It worked.

Will was quick to credit the squad. “With our depth and a lot more boys coming in, we know we need to step up every single game, and the boys are stepping up massively. There were a few changes in the squad today, and the boys filled those boots, really kicked on and definitely put their names in the ring.”

He also knows what an away win is worth. “Getting points away from home is massive in this league, and we’ve now done it twice, against Bracknell and Beaconsfield, two really good teams. Those points will be much more valuable to us this season than last.”